How to trim your dog’s claws
It is easier to trim light-coloured nails than dark ones. In light nails, it's easy to see the quick and avoid hurting your dog by cutting into it. Following the directions in the references below will help you avoid cutting the quick.
Dangers of Overgrown Nails
If nails are allowed to grow too long, they can harm your floors and your visitors as well as your dog. Hardwood floors and some tiled floors can be scratched or damaged quite easily by your dog's nails, especially if they are a big dog. If your dog has the habit of jumping up on people, they can easily scratch them.
Overly long nails are also uncomfortable for your dog and, in extreme cases, will affect their gait, leading to muscle soreness and pain, malformed feet and torn or broken toenails.
Prevention/Solution
If you have a puppy, get them comfortable with having their feet handled and nails trimmed right away, using lots of praise and treats. You can often use regular nail clippers on young puppies and toy dogs.
Some dogs will resist having their nails trimmed, no matter what you do; it's simply easier to pay someone else to do it and let them be the "bad guy." If you take your dog to the groomer regularly, make sure she does nails each time. Most groomers and vets will charge a nominal fee for doing only nails. Make a regular monthly appointment (this can be more or less frequent, depending on your dog) and keep it.
Expert Insight
The structure of your dog's feet will also determine how often nails should be trimmed. Some dogs, such as Dobermans and Northern breeds, have higher knuckles on their paws, so the nails can be fairly long yet still not touch the ground. Other dogs, often giant breeds, have flatter paws so moderately long nails will hit the ground with every step. Whatever type foot your dog has, it is better to keep the nails as short as possible
To trim your dog’s nails:
Stop any bleeding immediately.
If you cut the quick (often called quicking), you’ll have an unhappy dog and a bloody mess. The quick bleeds a great deal, so if you cut it, you need either a nail cauterizer — a tool that stops the bleeding by applying heat — or styptic powders you can apply with cotton swab.
Have a damp washcloth at hand ready to clean up styptic powder and blood as necessary.
Quicking hurts a lot, and most dogs remember the experience long afterward.
Don’t forget the dewclaws if your dog has them. They tend to grow long because they don’t normally touch the ground and if you fail to cut them, they will eventually grow back into your dog’s foot, which is quite painful.
If you use a nail grinder rather than clippers, use the same method — hold your dog’s foot, turn on the grinder, and grind a little off each nail.
It is easier to trim light-coloured nails than dark ones. In light nails, it's easy to see the quick and avoid hurting your dog by cutting into it. Following the directions in the references below will help you avoid cutting the quick.
Dangers of Overgrown Nails
If nails are allowed to grow too long, they can harm your floors and your visitors as well as your dog. Hardwood floors and some tiled floors can be scratched or damaged quite easily by your dog's nails, especially if they are a big dog. If your dog has the habit of jumping up on people, they can easily scratch them.
Overly long nails are also uncomfortable for your dog and, in extreme cases, will affect their gait, leading to muscle soreness and pain, malformed feet and torn or broken toenails.
Prevention/Solution
If you have a puppy, get them comfortable with having their feet handled and nails trimmed right away, using lots of praise and treats. You can often use regular nail clippers on young puppies and toy dogs.
Some dogs will resist having their nails trimmed, no matter what you do; it's simply easier to pay someone else to do it and let them be the "bad guy." If you take your dog to the groomer regularly, make sure she does nails each time. Most groomers and vets will charge a nominal fee for doing only nails. Make a regular monthly appointment (this can be more or less frequent, depending on your dog) and keep it.
Expert Insight
The structure of your dog's feet will also determine how often nails should be trimmed. Some dogs, such as Dobermans and Northern breeds, have higher knuckles on their paws, so the nails can be fairly long yet still not touch the ground. Other dogs, often giant breeds, have flatter paws so moderately long nails will hit the ground with every step. Whatever type foot your dog has, it is better to keep the nails as short as possible
To trim your dog’s nails:
- Hold the foot steady, but hold it gently.
- Snip off a small bit of the end of each toenail.
- Using either the guillotine or scissors-type clippers, place a tiny bit of the nail in the nail clipper and snip.
- If the nail feels spongy while you’re trying to cut it, stop immediately — you’re cutting the quick!
Stop any bleeding immediately.
If you cut the quick (often called quicking), you’ll have an unhappy dog and a bloody mess. The quick bleeds a great deal, so if you cut it, you need either a nail cauterizer — a tool that stops the bleeding by applying heat — or styptic powders you can apply with cotton swab.
Have a damp washcloth at hand ready to clean up styptic powder and blood as necessary.
Quicking hurts a lot, and most dogs remember the experience long afterward.
Don’t forget the dewclaws if your dog has them. They tend to grow long because they don’t normally touch the ground and if you fail to cut them, they will eventually grow back into your dog’s foot, which is quite painful.
If you use a nail grinder rather than clippers, use the same method — hold your dog’s foot, turn on the grinder, and grind a little off each nail.
